1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera with a built-in flash, such as a small-sized camera, generally called compact camera, or a single-lens reflex camera equipped with a flash (electronic flash device) for effecting flash-assisted phototaking operation.
2. Related Background Art
In cameras with built-in flashes in the conventional art, the flash emitting portion is usually provided on the front face of the camera body, in a position as distant as possible from the lens barrel of the phototaking lens, for example in the lateral upper portion of the camera body, opposite the shutter release button provided at the left-hand portion of the camera body when it is seen from the front side.
In the phototaking operation with the flash from the flash emitting portion in such a camera with built-in flash, in case of color photographing of a person from the front at a short distance, it is already known that there may result the so-called red-eye effect, or reproduction of the pupils of the person in red color. Such a red-eye effect is particularly conspicuous when the flash emitting portion is positioned close to the optical axis of the phototaking lens of the camera, and, for avoiding such phenomenon, it is necessary to maximize, as far as possible, the distance between the flash emitting portion and the phototaking lens.
However, in the small-sized camera such as the compact camera, it is difficult to obtain a sufficient distance between the flash emitting portion and the optical axis of the phototaking lens, so that the above-mentioned red-eye effect is often difficult to prevent.
For this reason, in such a camera with a built-in flash, the red-eye effect has conventionally been made less conspicuous by providing a separate red-eye reducing lamp on the front face of the camera body, for example in the vicinity of the lens barrel, and turning on such red-eye reducing lamp in synchronization with the electronic flash device at the flash-assisted phototaking operation.
However, in such conventional camera with built-in flash, the positioning of the light-emitting member, or such red-eye reducing lamp, poses difficulty in the installation in a part of the camera body. As it is to be installed in the vicinity of the lens barrel on the front face of the camera body, it has to be assembled independently from the flash emitting portion, which is linked in operation. Consequently these two portions cannot be combined as a single unit, and the assembling process becomes more complex.
Besides the space for incorporating the light emitting member such as the red-eye reducing lamp is quite limited in the camera body, and there are required particular assembling parts, protective plate etc. for forming an installing place for the light emitting member within the camera body and for installing such a light emitting member so as to be capable of emitting the light toward the front side of the camera body. Consequently, the installation of such a light emitting member leads to an increase in the number of component parts and eventually an increase in the size of the camera body.
For this reason, it is conceived, in the camera with a built-in flash emitting portion in an upper lateral portion of the camera body, to provide the red-eye reducing lamp close to the above-mentioned flash emitting portion. Such an arrangement enables single unit formation with the electronic flash device, resulting in improvement in assembling ability and reduction in size of the camera body by the utilization of the dead space.
However, if such limit emitting member functioning as the red-eye reducing lamp is simply positioned close to the flash emitting portion, it may be covered with the finger of the photographer in holding the camera body, so that the red-eye reducing function at the flash phototaking operation may be hindered. Such trouble in the holding of the camera body becomes more enhanced if such a light emitting member is positioned under the flash emitting portion.
Even in the conventional camera with built-in flash as explained above, there has been the possibility that the flash emitting window of the flash device is covered by the finger at the flash-assisted phototaking operation, but, if the light emitting member constituting the red-eye reducing lamp is provided under the flash emitting portion as explained above, the probability that such light emitting member is covered by the finger of the photographer is higher than that of covering the light emitting portion. Such drawback can only be prevented by sufficient attention of the photographer in the manner of holding of the camera, and is a problem in secure achievement of the camera functions. For this reason there has been desired certain measure capable of resolving such drawback.
Also in case the light emitting member constituting the red-eye reducing lamp is positioned next to the flash emitting portion, for example within the reflector of the flash emitting portion, the light from the flash emitting portion is intercepted by the light emitting member, so that the amount of flash light becomes deficient.
Also in the protective panel, composed for example of glass, provided in front of the flash emitting portion and the light emitting member constituting the red-eye reducing lamp, there are generally formed a Fresnel lens in front of the flash emitting portion and a plain panel or another Fresnel lens in front of the adjacent light emitting member, but such an arrangement results in the following drawbacks.
The light from the flash emitting portion also passes the plain portion of the protective panel in front of the light emitting member, while the light from the light emitting member is projected, also through the same plain portion, to the front side of the camera body, so that, in the flash-assisted phototaking operation, the two light beams transmitted through the protective panel overlap on the object to generate undesirable unevenness or shadow-like patterns thereon.
Also in the above-explained protective panel in which the light transmitting portions are formed separately, corresponding respectively to the flash emitting portion and the light emitting member, the junction or boundary of such light transmitting portions affect the light emission characteristics, thus eventually causing uneven light intensity on the object. Consequently there has been desired a measure capable of resolving such drawbacks.